Sen. Whitehouse Names Dark Money Groups Behind Hearing Talking Points
The Senate Judiciary Republicans weren't even coming up with their own questions. Instead, they were being fed by some very familiar groups.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse talked to Lawrence O'Donnell about the dark money groups behind all the talk (it came up 50 times) about Judge Brown-Jackson's "judicial philosophy."
"It comes from a little group of groups that all share the same address," he said.
"It's called Independent Women's forum, Independent Women's Voice, Independent Women's Law Center. It's very attached to Leonard Leo, who's done all the judge picking and his pair of front groups, 85 Fund and the Concord Fund, which are funded by the Kochs and their foundations and the Bradley Foundation and it was run by a Koch lobbyist for years while she also ran Americans For Prosperity, the big Koch brothers political mothership.
"And surprise, surprise! In one of these organizations, you will find none other than Senator Hawley's spouse working, and they directed everyone actually before before Judge Jackson was even named, 'It is important you focus not on the selection process or on the nominee's paper qualifications, but rather on the need to learn more about the nominee's --- and this is italics and bold, 'judicial philosophy.'
"So that comes straight out of swamp dark money talking points and you see the same thing with the sexual angle on her child pornography sentencing that came out of another front group with all sorts of creepy ties, including to the legendary Cleta Mitchell, and the guy who runs that one was Ted Cruz's oppo guy and Cruz for president.
"So you've got Hawley and Cruz who are saying these things with like family members and staff
feeding stuff to them from these dark money groups. If it weren't so sickening, it would be funny."